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Steel Industry Portal - Website News

What's New on Our Website


Our most recent site changes and business developments have included the following ...

  • Jul 2026: Expanded the steel rolling and coating line technical reference series to five articles, authored by Steve Hesling: Temper Rolling & Tension Levelling; Air Knife & Coating Mass Control; Coil Winding in Galvanising Lines; Dross Formation & Control; and Plate Mill Yield and Provisioning. Together the series now covers galvanising line and plate mill engineering, from coating and winding process control through to yield management. See the full series on the Technical Reference Hub.

  • Jun 2026: Published three new technical reference articles on galvanising line processes, authored by Steve Hesling: Temper Rolling & Tension Levelling; Air Knife & Coating Mass Control; and Coil Winding in Galvanising Lines. Each article covers principles, equipment, measurement and control.

  • Jun 2026: Launched new Steel Process Expertise page mapping named MCI consultants to specific steel production routes — integrated mills, EAF mini-mills, flat and long product rolling, tube production, specialty steel, and distribution. Includes consultant profiles for Dr Andrzej M Kotas, James King, Dave Edwards, Steve Hesling, Peter Stickland, Anthony Shoult, Roger Emmott, and Alan Grimmond. Also updated the companion steel industry expertise page with improved cross-links.

  • May 2026: Published MCI presentation British Steel Scunthorpe: Asking the Right Questions — independent analysis of strategic options for the steelworks, arguing for a downstream transition (Steckel mill, cold rolling mill and hot-dip galvanising line) as the fiscally and strategically correct path. See also the related think tank article Scunthorpe Unresolved.

  • Apr 2026: Launched a new Steel Industry by Country profile series — in-depth independent analyses of national steel industries covering major plants and capacities, planned investments, logistics and ports, scrap flows, ownership, raw materials, energy, distribution, and key structural issues. Each profile includes full schema markup, FAQ schema, numbered references, and author attribution. Country profiles published to date:
    • China Steel Industry — Baowu, HBIS, Ansteel, Shagang; ~1,005 Mt; overcapacity and export surge; coastal relocation programme; EAF expansion
    • Egypt Steel Industry — Ezz Steel, Hadisolb, Alexandria National Steel; ~10.7 Mt; EAF/scrap-import dependency; Dekheila and Ain Sokhna ports
    • India Steel Industry — JSW, SAIL, Tata Steel, AMNS India, JSPL; ~149 Mt; BF–BOF expansion; 300 Mt capacity target by 2030
    • Japan Steel Industry — Nippon Steel, JFE; ~84 Mt; EAF transition; decarbonisation roadmap; Nippon Steel/US Steel controversy
    • Turkey Steel Industry — Oyak/Erdemir, Kardemir, Çolakoglu, İçdas, Tosyali; ~36.9 Mt; EAF/scrap dominance; Iskenderun scrap benchmark; EU CBAM exposure
    • UK Steel Industry — British Steel Scunthorpe, Tata Port Talbot; ~4 Mt; BF closure; EAF transition; government nationalisation; CBAM
    • USA Steel Industry — Nucor, Cleveland-Cliffs, US Steel, SDI; ~79.5 Mt; EAF dominance; Section 232 tariffs; Nippon Steel acquisition controversy; scrap net-exporter
    • Germany Steel Industry — thyssenkrupp Steel, Salzgitter (SALCOS), ArcelorMittal; ~35 Mt; energy cost crisis; Chinese import pressure; DRI–EAF transition underway
    • Italy Steel Industry — Arvedi, Feralpi, Beltrame, Pittini; ~20 Mt; 70% EAF; Taranto BF–BOF crisis; Europe's largest scrap importer; high energy costs
    • Canada Steel Industry — ArcelorMittal Dofasco, Algoma Steel, Cleveland-Cliffs/Stelco; ~12.5 Mt; US Section 232 tariff shock; EAF transition; Ontario auto sector
    • Australia Steel Industry — BlueScope Port Kembla, Whyalla (administration/rescue), InfraBuild; ~4.7 Mt; net importer; green steel hub potential in Western Australia
    • Ukraine Steel Industry — Metinvest, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih; ~7.4 Mt (2025); wartime capacity losses; CBAM applied; Pokrovsk coal mine closure; post-war H2-DRI potential
    • Steel Industry Strengths & Weaknesses by Country — comparative analysis of structural strengths and key vulnerabilities across all 12 profiled nations; WorldSteel 2024 data; strategic outlook summaries; journalist-friendly citation list

  • Mar 2026: Launched Steel Grade Cross-Reference & Equivalent Finder, a searchable database covering 119 steel grade groups across 11 categories — structural, engineering, stainless, tool steel, high speed steel, bearing, spring, pipe, aerospace, automotive and nuclear. Supports cross-referencing between ASTM, EN, DIN, JIS, BS, ISO, GB and GOST (Russian/CIS) standards, with typical mechanical properties (UTS, yield strength, hardness), application notes and equivalency caveats. Includes Cyrillic search support for GOST grades such as ??15 and 09?2?. Indicative reference tool; always verify against the primary standard for safety-critical or procurement use.

  • Mar 2026: Launched interactive Steel Production Emissions Calculator enabling calculation of Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon emissions across different production routes. Features include BF/BOF, EAF (100% scrap or scrap+DRI mix), and induction furnace steelmaking options; coal-based, natural gas, and hydrogen DRI production routes; continuous and ingot casting; complete product range from flat-rolled (plate, HRC, CRC, galvanised, organic coated, tinplate) to long products (sections, rebar, rod, wire) and tubular products (seamless, welded). Calculator incorporates adjustable grid electricity carbon intensity (50-800 g CO2/kWh) affecting Scope 2 emissions, customisable emission factors based on IPCC guidelines and EU ETS benchmarks, and detailed process-by-process breakdowns. Includes comparison showing EAF rebar production produces 74% less CO2 than BF/BOF route (622 kg vs 2,376 kg per tonne). Indicative tool for educational purposes, initial assessments, and understanding relative emissions across different production routes, with comprehensive methodology documentation and academic references.

  • Feb 2026: Enhanced website accessibility with comprehensive keyboard navigation support. Implemented WCAG 2.1 Level AAA compliant focus indicators (visible blue outlines when using Tab key navigation) across all interactive elements including links, buttons, and form inputs. This improvement enables full keyboard-only navigation throughout the site, supporting users with motor disabilities and those who prefer keyboard interaction. Our commitment to inclusive design ensures equal access to steel industry intelligence for all users.

  • Feb 2026: Published two comprehensive methodology pages documenting our analytical frameworks: Aggregate Steel Demand Calculation Methodology covering bottom-up approach to regional and country-level steel consumption assessment using apparent domestic consumption (ADC) framework with data triangulation and eight analytical cross-checks; and Steel Plant Material Flow Analysis Methodology providing systematic framework for analysing integrated steel plant operations through upstream material flow mapping to identify production bottlenecks, capacity utilisation issues, and strategic optimisation opportunities.

  • Feb 2026: New Steel Industry Podcasts section launched, featuring audio discussions on key steel industry topics inclusing decarbonisation and profit improvement.

  • Feb 2026: Registered with ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) to strengthen academic credibility and enable verification of our research output. ORCID provides a persistent digital identifier linking our steel industry analysis to 100+ academic citations from Nature, Harvard, OECD, and other prestigious institutions. See our academic citations page.

  • Jan 2026: Launched comprehensive Steel Industry Abbreviations reference guide covering 350+ acronyms across production processes, products, standards, organisations, environmental technologies, and trade terminology. Features searchable database, alphabetical index, and cross-references to detailed definitions.

  • Dec 2025: Prepared an analysis outlining the SteelOnTheNet competitive advantage.

  • Dec 2025: Launched comprehensive Steel Industry Essentials knowledge base with 12 authoritative FAQ pages covering critical industry topics: Each essentials page features expert answers, comparison tables, and FAQPage schema markup for enhanced search visibility.

  • Dec 2025: Created a sustainabilty page describing our environmental responsibility, industry contribution and social responsibility.

  • Dec 2025: Prepared code of conduct page describing our commercial independence, confidentiality policy and approach to conflict-of-interest management.

  • Nov 2025: Included a new page about our financial modelling support service.

  • Nov 2025: Added a steel sector chronology research tool. See chronology research page.

  • Oct 2025: Added new page explaining sources of information and methodology. See methodology.

  • Oct 2025: Created new pages explaining website accessibility and security. See website accessibility and site security.

  • Sep 2025: Created a 'platform guide' page explaining the purpose, the content and the target audience of each website hub. See platform guide.

  • Aug 2025: YouTube videos, professional guides, and consulting resources from SteelOnTheNet incorporated into a new steel industry expertise page covering feasibility studies, due diligence, and market analysis methodologies.

  • Jul 2025: Added another 'gateway page' offering access to our steel industry policy papers and thought pieces. See insights hub.

  • Jul 2025: Launched online industry mood tracker. This free tool monitors steel industry sentiment, by reviewing the tone of recent SteelOnTheNet news reports. Historic sentiment can also be tracked over time. See steel industry sentiment tracker.

  • Jul 2025: Prepared outline plan for Restructuring of British Steel Scunthorpe.

  • Mar 2025: Added 'gateway page' offering access to steel company history. See history hub [Top 40 firms]. Other 'gateway pages' also added including a advisory support hub, an industry resource hub and a steel m&a database hub.

  • Mar 2025: Prepared list of the main challenges currently facing the industry. See Top Ten Challenges page.

  • Feb 2025: Added a new page describing likely impact of Trump 25% steel tariff on US and European markets. See Trump tariff impact page.

  • Feb 2025: Updated the mining and metals sector oligarch database. See oligarch database page.

  • Jan 2025: Launched new fixed-price iron and steel sector concept study service. See concept study appraisal page.

  • Nov 2024: Completely updated the SteelOnTheNet steel industry who's who list.

  • Aug 2024: Set up a steel sector merger and aquisitions news page. See steel merger and aquisitions news.

  • Jul 2024: Launched M&A activity pages identifying recent steel company acquisitions, scrap dealership acquisitions and acquisitions of steel distributors including transaction statistics.

  • Jun 2024: Launched film clip page describing recent steel sector technology developments.

  • May 2024: We now have addresses and plant geolocations [latitude and longitude coordinates] available for purchase for ~4500 steel plants worldwide. Please contact us for further details or to see sample data format.

  • Apr 2024: Added list of investment locations covered by our capex cost database. See capex costs.

  • Feb 2024: Added Celsa history page. See History of Celsa.

  • Dec 2023: Added CMC history page to knowledge base. See History of Commercial Metals Company.

  • Jun 2023: Created new page listing recent examples of steel industry state aid. See steel industry state aid database.

  • Apr 2022: Added a fossil-free steel news page. For all the latest reports on net zero carbon steel, visit green steel news.

  • Sep 2021: Added news archive search capability. This allows site visitors to search for key words or phrases across several thousands news stories in our news archive. See archive search.

  • Jun 2021: Assessed our carbon footprint! To see our wesite's CO2 emissions output statistics, visit our carbon footprint page.

  • Apr 2021: Launched industry calendar page listing forthcoming steel sector conferences, exhibitions, and similar events. See steel industry calendar page.

  • Jan 2021: Created new page listing recent technological developments and decarbonisation progress. See steel industry decarbonisation page.

  • Oct 2020: Created new SteelOnTheNet Instagram account. Visit us at the photo sharing site.

  • Sep 2020: Re-launched the website in the UIkit framework. We hope you like what you see!

  • Aug 2020: Set up hydrogen steelmaking news page. See our steel technology page.

  • Apr 2020: Metals Consulting International (MCI), the operating company for SteelOnTheNet, merges with Saint Barbara. See MCI Group news.

  • Jan 2020: Added Hyundai history page to knowledge base. See History of Hyundai Steel, South Korea.

  • Jan 2020: Added Hunan Valin history page to knowledge base. See History of Hunan Valin Steel.

  • Dec 2020: Published MCI's 2026+ steel market outlook.

  • Aug 2019: Added Schmolz+Bickenbach timeline (now Swiss Steel). See history of Schmolz+Bickenbach page.

  • Jul 2019: Added steel company valuation service. See steel business valuation page.

  • Feb 2019: Added monthly bulk ferroalloy prices for FeMn SiMn FeSi. See bulk ferroalloy prices page.

  • Feb 2019: Added 2011+ monthly direct reduced iron prices (Indian fob export prices). See DRI prices page.

  • Feb 2019: Added 2011+ monthly steelmaking electrode prices. See graphite electrode prices page.

  • Dec 2018: Applied site-wide technical modifications to improve page loading speeds in order to attain a Google PageSpeed mobile score of 95/100 or better; and desktop score of 99/100 or more.

  • Sep 2018: Added cobalt news and lithium news pages.

  • Jun 2018: Added steel plant capital investment cost data page for selected items of plant and equipment.

  • May 2018: Added very detailed site index.

  • Feb 2018: SteelOnTheNet® trade mark successfully obtained from UK Intellectual Property Office.

  • Jan 2018: Launched a sister website offering steel industry expert witness support services. Visit us at www.steelexpertwitness.com

  • Feb 2017: Added scrap price history page at https://www.steelonthenet.com/ferrous-scrap-prices.html

  • Jan 2017: Added a specialty steel prices page with monthly European stainless cold rolled, carbon and alloy SBQ and tool steel price data.

  • Dec 2016: Added stainless steel news pages. See stainless steel news reports.

  • Nov 2016: Added an SBQ engineering steel news page. See SBQ news reports page.

  • Sep 2016: Abandoned use of the content distribution network service (CDN). This was badly impacting our website quality - especially by giving rise to missing images for some users. We enhanced our own site caching ability instead.

  • Dec 2015: Updated the home page - adding news reports, selected steel plant maps, capex costs and employment benchmarks [and more]. Visit our steel news and info home page to see the update.

  • Oct 2015: We now offer site visitors a free one week trial to our steel industry news service. Just info@steelonthenet.com us a few details and we will send a user name and password enabling you to try out the new service.

  • Sep 2015: Site moved from Zeus to Apache HTTP server. This will allow us to introduce additional functionality in due course.

  • Aug 2015: Introduced a 'Members Section' with certain premium content accessible for a small charge. For further details see our subscribe page.

  • Apr 2015: Added a new page on world trade flows of steel. Click here for the latest global movements in world steel imports and exports.

  • Feb 2015: Finalised major improvements to site loading speed. Among the many steps involved here we included the following: losslessly optimised all images; adopted the use of sprites; streamlined and minified our css; enabled HTTP compression; merged [and repositioned] requisite Javascript files; introduced file caching where appropriate; eliminated all page redirects; adopted a CDN for many of our static assets ... and more! For the technically-minded, our performance target for all key pages was to attain a webpagetest 'Speed Index' score (repeat view) approaching 500 milliseconds; to attain a Google PageSpeed mobile-desktop mark of 90-95 or better; and to get YSlow score of 95% or more. All these targets were achieved in early 2015. For current site loading results, click PageSpeed

  • Dec 2014: Completed re-design of mobile website. Our site now works much better with all tablets and mobiles - why not check us out?

  • Nov 2014: Launched our YouTube channel. For tips and advice concerning steel industry analysis and research - and other commentary - visit our YouTube steel channel.

  • Oct 2014: Added forecasts through to the year 2025 for scrap, iron ore and for steel prices. Visitors may subscribe to a service that provides the up-to-date data on a monthly basis for just $400/year. Visit steel price forecasts page for further info.

  • Jul 2014: Corporate history pages updated for firms such as ArcelorMittal, Baosteel, Evraz, Hebei Steel, Gerdau, IMIDRO, Metinvest etc. See Knowledge Base index.

  • Jun 2014: Added a new crossword. To see the latest puzzle, visit our steel crossword puzzle page.

  • Feb 2014: Set up a new background on our Twitter page. Check it out at https://twitter.com/steelonthenet.

  • Dec 2013: Added history of IMIDRO. See IMIDRO history page.

  • Sep 2013: New steel training page added, covering online video tutorials about blast furnace iron making, BOF- and EAF-steelmaking, hot strip rolling, seamless and welded tube making. See our steel industry training page.

  • Sep 2013: Added a YouTube video news page. Watch the latest topical steel industry YouTube clips. Visit our steel industry videos page.

  • Aug 2013: Added a 'desktop view' option [see foot of home page]. This allows site visitors usings tablets or similar small-screen devices to view the full desktop version of the website [giving access to more site pages], if they choose to do so. Select 'default view' to restore normal view at any time. A cookie remembers any preference for 365 days.

  • Apr 2013: Prepared a detailed analysis of world steel demand. See world steel demand analysis.

  • Mar 2013: Site relaunched in a responsive web design - for viewing on mobile phones, tablets, laptops and PCs on screen widths ranging from 240-1920 pixels. Why not check how our website looks on your preferred device today?

  • Feb 2013: Put together a range of steel industry maps illustrating global steel plant locations. Visit steel industry maps.

  • Jan 2013: Added a 'steel spreads' page, illustrating historic pricing differentials between scrap and billet, scrap and rebar, billet and rebar - and between slab, HRC and CRC. See steel price spreads charts.

  • Nov 2012: Launched a steel plant 'diagnostics' service based on KPI assessment and international benchmarking of steel plant performance. For further info see our key performance indicators page.

  • Nov 2012: Created a 'steel experts' page with photographs (and brief profiles) of some of our consultants. See steel industry experts page.

  • Nov 2012: Compiled some client case studies, describing typical consulting work. Visit steel industry consulting case studies page to learn how we approached three recent projects.

  • Oct 2012: Updated international steel industry who's who list. Executive listings may be sorted by name, by job title, by company and by country.

  • Sep 2012: Offered key performance indicators for sale for a wide range of iron and steelmaking process steps.

  • Sep 2012: Expanded online store to include steel market trends reports, price and cost forecasts, steel demand appraisals, steel sector SWOT analyses and similar offerings.

  • May 2012: Added cookie policy page to comply with the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 for protection of privacy of internet users.

  • May 2012: Added chart showing historic hot dip galvanised steel prices. See our steel price history page.

  • Jan 2012: Commenced use of a content distribution network for selected static files - for faster distribution of our content to more distant geographies.

  • Sep 2011: Expanded steel quiz from 20 to 25 questions and added Hall of Fame of high quiz scores.

  • Jul 2011: Added European blast furnace coke price chart and data. See European coke prices page.

  • Jun 2011: Registration requirement relaxed, allowing all site visitors open access 24/7 to our steel industry knowledge base [without prior login].

  • Jun 2011: Cost model added showing typical seamless tube conversion costs.

  • May 2011: Cost model added showing typical welded tube conversion costs.

  • May 2011: Analysis added of notable suppliers of steel industry plant and equipment.

  • Apr 2011: Posted a YouTube video about future world steel prices.

  • Apr 2011: Added new pages about global 2010 steel modernisation projects and 2011 steel industry capital investment projects.

  • Apr 2011: Prepared a short YouTube video Introduction to SteelOnTheNet.

  • Mar 2011: Added stainless steel industry newsfeed. See stainless steel sector press reports page.

  • Jan 2011: Launched new global transport cost estimation service. If you are moving coal, scrap, iron ore or steel from A to B around the world, visit our freight costs page and get a feel for this new service.

  • Dec 2010: Added 'Integrity Safe' business verification and 'Network Solutions Assured' ID site verifications to the website. For further information, please click on the relevant banners on the about us page.

  • Dec 2010: Re-launched website in 2-column CSS-based fixed width design format, with horizontal navigation menu.

  • Nov 2010: Added newsfeeds for Rio Tinto news, Shanghai Baosteel and ThyssenKrupp news.

  • Nov 2010: Launched company feeds for ArcelorMittal news, NSSMC news, Nucor news, POSCO news, SAIL news, Tata Steel news, U.S. Steel news and Vale news.

  • Nov 2010: Added steel capex report for sale. A 100 page report all about capital investment costs in the steel industry. Coverage includes ironmaking and steelmaking plus ancillary plant. See steelmaking capital investment costs report.

  • Jun 2010: Offered steel industry plant capital investment cost data for sale. See steel capex database offer